Admiral Mike Mullen warns long deployments hurt military readiness

Former US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen has warned that extended military deployments are compromising future readiness and exhausting personnel. Speaking to ABC News, Mullen stated that deployments lasting a year place severe strain on service members, their families, and naval vessels.

The USS Abraham Lincoln has spent 268 days at sea, with its 5,000 sailors and Marines exceeding 200 consecutive days without a port call. The carrier has been supporting US combat operations in the Middle East and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Reports from the vessel have highlighted issues regarding exhaustion, declining morale, and mental health concerns.

Mullen noted that finding secure locations for port visits has become difficult due to threats against traditional US Navy locations in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, as well as targeting of Diego Garcia. While Admiral Brad Cooper of US Central Command indicated that some early deployment issues have been addressed, Mullen emphasized that morale requires continued attention.